The Watcher on the Wall
by Somthing9999
Summary: AU where Ygritte survived the Battle of Castle Black.
1. Chapter 1

Jon frantically reached out for something to fight with. He quickly grabbed the hammer and without a second thought he swung it and hit Styr's side, bringing the thenn to his knees. Then he raised the hammer above his head and swiftly brought it down and buried it into his skull. Styr fell down and Jon leaned against the wooden pole, wiping the blood out of his face. He then walked forward to try and find his lost sword, but he quickly stopped in his tracks when he heard the sound of a bow being drawn. Jon looked up and saw Ygritte with an arrow nocked and drawn, ready to shoot. Jon's breath escaped him. She always had that impact on him. She looked as beautiful as always. He knew she was there to kill him. And she had a valid reason to. He betrayed her, broke her heart, and left her behind. It wasn't the easiest decision to make but Jon felt like it was what he had to do. But even so he thought of her everyday and he dreamt of her every night. She was poised to kill him and he knew it, still he couldn't help but smile. She was still alive, and if his death was going to come on this night he would be thankful it came from the hand of the woman he loves.

Ygritte saw his smile and he felt her heart flutter. Why? Why was he still having that effect on her? She hated him. At least she wanted to hate him. She loved him with all of her heart and he left her only with memories both sweet and bitter and a secret. She tried not to smile back at him and pulled her arrow a bit farther to strengthen her resolve to end him. But something stilled her hand. She knew she had to kill him but her heart willed her to stop not just for herself but also for someone else. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain on her back. She gasped and noticed that she had been shot in the back with an arrow. She looks up at Jon in horror as she started falling down to the ground. Jon bolted towards her and held on to her for dear life.

"Jon Snow…" She whispered.

"Hush… don't talk." Jon urged her.

"D' you remember that cave?"

Jon silently nodded.

"We should've stayed in that cave." She said struggling to make the words come out.

"We'll go back there!" Jon promised.

She wanted to live. She tried to will herself to live. There was someone depending on her to live. She regretted coming to the battle just to fulfill her revenge. She wanted to make him hurt just like he'd hurt her, but her heart knew her better. She could never go through with it. And if she did, it would only make the pain worse and haunt her for as long as she lived. She knew she had to fight to stay alive, but maybe dying was better. She felt like a coward thinking that submitting to death was the answer but it didn't seem to her that she had a choice. She was going to die.

"You know nothin' Jon Snow." She said with a sigh feeling death creep closer.

But Jon was not about to let that happen. He picked her up gently and raced to the castle. He was not going to allow his woman to die like that. As long as his heart was beating he was not going to watch her die in his arms. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Ygritte's breath started to lessen and her face started getting pale. He kicked open the door to Maester Aemon's chambers and saw the old man standing by his window. The old blind man looked to the door unsure of who had kicked in his door.

"Please… Maester… Save her…" Jon said breathlessly, with a broken voice.

He recognized Jon's voice and signaled him to put her down on his table. He put her down on her side and Aemon touched her and felt her skin and the arrow in her back.

"I have to move quickly… she's at death's door…" Maester Aemon said as he moved quickly through his room gathering his supplies.

Jon could hardly believe that the old man was blind. He moved as if he was seeing everything in front of him. He saw him draw the arrow from her back. The sound of the arrow leaving her flesh made him cringe. Jon decided to leave and keep on fighting down at the castle grounds, not being able to bare the sight of her like that. Hours after he'd left Ygritte with Maester Aemon passed, the raging battle calmed down. Jon went to the old maester's chambers. He dragged his feet, dreading to see her dead, to hear Aemon apologize to him saying he did the best he could. He stood in front of his door and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the worst. He opened the door and peeked in. He saw Ygritte down on the table, tucked in by furs. He quietly dashed in and whispered her name. He kneeled down and ran his hands through her hair. He looked at her finding for any sign of her living. He saw her bandaged breasts heave with every slow breath she took. She was alive. Jon felt so relieved.

"You can relax Jon Snow, the woman lives. She was near death. The only reason she lived long enough for me to save her was because her quiver didn't allow the arrow to go in further and damage any important organs. She was very lucky." The old man said as he rose from his stool near the window and walked over to the table.

"Of course she was, she's kissed by fire. Lucky." Jon whispered while lovingly stroking her beautiful red hair.

"Yes… I've given her some milk of the poppy for the pain. She's going to be asleep for a few more hours."

Jon rose up to his feet and looked to Maester Aemon and thanked him for saving her. The old Maester patted Jon on the back and assured him that she was now safe and sent him off to rest himself. Jon didn't want to rest. He wanted to stay by her side. But his body started demanding some rest after what he'd been through all night. Jon relented and went to his chambers to rest and left Ygritte in the care of Aemon. Aemon closed the door to his chambers and walked towards the table where Ygritte was resting. He touched the girl's forehead and sighed.

"What is honor compared to a woman's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms?... I told you Jon Snow... now what will you do?"


	2. Chapter 2

She felt warm. Comfortable. Is this how death felt like? Had she truly died? She remembered looking up at Jon Snow. She was glad that if she had died that her last sight in life was of Jon Snow's face. Suddenly there was a bright light that blinded her. Her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes slowly focused and she saw the stone ceiling. She quickly sat up and looked down upon the bandages wrapped around her breasts. She was alive. The hasty action caused her a sharp stinging pain. She cringed and let out a small whine at the pain.

"Are you awake my dear girl?" She heard a voice call out.

She twisted to look over to the source of the voice causing her to grunt in pain.

"Careful now, you wouldn't want to open up your wounds again." He warned as he walked over to her table.

Ygritte ran her hands through her bandages lightly.

"You saved me?"

"Yes. The arrow didn't pierce any vital organs. It was stopped by the quiver on your back."

"But… why?"

"My dear I'm a Maester of the Citadel. Just like these boys are sworn to protect the wall, I am sworn to treat all wounded even our enemies. When Jon Snow frantically came in here asking me to save your life I had to try to save your life. Then when I found out that you were with child I knew that I couldn't let either of you die."

Ygritte's eyes grew in shock. Her hand went to her womb.

"Don't worry my dear, the child is fine." He assured her.

"How did you know?" She asked him.

"Pardon me, but your breasts felt tender. That gave me the suspicion. And after I took care of your wounds, I took some of your blood and preformed a test. An assistant told me what he saw and it told me of your current state. Don't worry the boy has no idea what the test was about so it's just between you and me. I only wish you answer a couple of questions."

Ygritte pondered it for a moment and silently nodded and then she remembered that the old man was blind.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Is the child Jon Snow's?" He asked concerned.

"…Aye, the babe is his." She admitted.

"I thought so. Does he know?" Aemon sighed.

"He knows nothing. Have you told him?" Ygritte asked.

"Like I said, this is between you and me. Judging by your answer, I believe you knew of your condition. If you knew that you were with child, why would you come to fight in the battle and risk both your lives?"

Ygritte looked down to the hand on her womb.

"Before he'd left I missed my moon's blood. I didn't think too much of it. After he left me to return to the crows a month passed by and I'd started feeling sick and I missed my moon's blood again. That's when it came t' me. I went t' the woods witch for some moon tea. But the moment I had the tea in my hands I couldn't bring myself t' drink it. I couldn't bring myself to kill my own babe. I dreamt ev'ry night of holding a strong baby boy. But the sight of the babe hurt me. He looked just like Jon Snow. The sight of my babe reminded me of how much I loved his father, how hurt I was when he left, and how much it was going t' hurt raising his babe without him knowing his father. For a long time Jon Snow haunted my thoughts. I thought I couldn't be able to look into our son's face because I saw his and I would be angry and hurt because he didn't love as much as I him. I was angry an' hurt an' I thought if I fought an' put an' arrow through his heart I could get him to feel the pain I felt an' then I could feel some closure. But the moment I had him, my arrow pointed straight at his chest, I couldn't do it. Something inside me didn't let me. I thought of sweet memories of him, I thought of our child, and I thought the only thing worse than raising a child fatherless is having to raise him fatherless because of my own hand. And then the arrow found my back. It was selfish. I made a wrong choice b'cause I was thinking of my anger and resentment and I did not think of my life and that of my babe's." Ygritte said feeling the regret washing over her.

"It was a very stupid decision indeed. You know my girl, when Jon Snow came here with arrows on his back, courtesy of you I'm guess, I tended to his wounds. I gave him milk of the poppy for the pain. In his sleep he only whispered a single thing. A name. Ygritte…"

Ygritte took in a breath and looked up to the old man.

"I knew from that moment he was not the same boy I last saw. Love has a way of changing a person. And I heard that love again when he came here with you in his arms, begging me desperately to save you. You're Ygritte are you not?"

"Aye." She confirmed.

"What is honor to a woman's love? What is duty to the feel of a newborn son in your arms? I told this to Jon Snow a long time ago. He chose duty over love once. Now with this experience of almost losing the woman who holds his heart and torments his thoughts and has unknowingly fathered a child with. I wonder, will he choose duty over love again?"

The same question buzzed in Ygritte's head. Now that both her and her child were living she wondered what would she do. Should she tell her about the babe growing inside her womb? Or just leave him without a word? Her train of thought was interrupted when two crows burst into the room. They threw some furs at her and ordered her to dress herself. She obliged and carefully dressed herself minding her wounds. The crows then bound her hands in chains and led her to a solitary cell. Now alone with her thoughts, she thought of Jon. Of their sweet times together and of the child she was carrying inside of her.


End file.
